Sunday, January 18, 2015

Hello and welcome. This post shows photos of Takayama. I had a lovely time here. The first few photos were taken the first morning. We had just escaped from a typhoon that was bearing down on Tokyo. The weather in Takayama was rainy/cloudy. By midday it had cleared and I was given an opportunity to capture it at its best

There are other places called Takayama so it is often called Hida-Takayama, 飛騨高山, to differentiate it from the others. Takayama sits in the Hida region and the prefecture of Gifu

Takayama retains a traditional touch like few other Japanese cities

A river in a city is a must for me

This is the Miyagawa river

Traditional streets, doggies carried in baskets however, is a cross-cultural phenomenon!

Babies carried in pouches too...

You can see sarubobos all over Takayama. Traditionally, sarubobos were made by mothers and grandmothers to
be given to their daughters as an amulet to ensure a good marriage, good
children and happiness. The name means “baby monkey” and it is believed
that as monkeys have quick childbirths, so will the possessor of this
charm. Nowadays they are regarded as more general good luck amulets that
anyone can carry

A sunny photo this time! Love this chap!

View of the bridge

Happy youngsters, in a hurry!

Lovely weeping willow

A river creates beauty, energy and a wonderful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the town. Mind you, while I was there in October 2014 there was not so much hustle and bustle. It was deliciously relaxing

The city boundaries spread approximately 81km from east to west and 55km
from north to south with an area of 2,177.67ｋ㎡ (around the same size as
the Tokyo metropolitan area), making it the most extensive city in
Japan. 92.3% of the area is forest and it is geographically divided by
mountains, rivers, gorges and passes

Sunset ride with daddy

Takayama now ranks as one of the prime candidates among travellers wishing to add a rural element into their itineraries

The gate to a lovely temple called Sakurayama Hachimangu

This is an old shrine, which is thought to be the village shrine for the
north part of old Takayama city, situated to the north of Yasukawa dori

The inner gateway beautifully illuminated by the sunset

The trees are a majestic backdrop

Don't forget to wash, or else!

Superb door

Takayama is best known for its inhabitants' expertise in carpentry. It is believed carpenters from Takayama worked on the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and on many of the temples in Kyoto and Nara

Many moons ago, Prince Takefurukuma-no-mikoto was sent from the imperial court to subjugate the monster Ryoumen Sukuna, who was controlling Hida...

...It is said that the shrine originated when this warrior enshrined
Emperor Ojin as the deity of this sanctuary and prayed for the success
of the mission

Can someone translate this for me?

The current shrine was rebuilt by Arishige Kanamori in order to protect the north part of Takayama castle

Its festivals are held on the 9th and 10th of October. (Takayama Matsuri)

Another water feature of the city

I love these bridges

Back to the Miyagawa river. Next time Kyoto, and a beautiful garden. See you then!

Links to some of my favourite websites

About Me

The main purpose of my blog is to share my life and travel experiences with my friends and relatives in different parts of the world. But, of course, all are welcome, and I welcome your comments and suggstions. If you like my photos have a look at my 500px gallery. Click on the link on the black bar at the top of the home page or go here http://500px.com/alan8460